


New Game

by Chesteng



Category: No Game No Life - Kamiya Yuu
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, F/F, No Game No Life: Zero
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 12:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17918912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chesteng/pseuds/Chesteng
Summary: With Imanity claiming the first rank out of all exceed, they lived by taking the belongings of other exceed. With the Elves approaching close, they face a new era in the world of Disboard, one where a forgotten weapon is now revived.





	New Game

“How are you doing today, Dad? Onee-sama has been teaching me many things!”

 

She rested her hands on the smooth marble while sitting underneath its gargantuan shadow. She had done this so often that it had worn down.

 

“But...”

 

While it may appear that she was speaking to someone, the statue of her deceased father was all that kept her company.

 

“They really couldn’t remember what you looked like.”

 

A giggle escaped from her lips as she reminisced the many years that passed by since the humble beginning of a newly founded kingdom for Imanity. Several more statues like this were erected throughout the area as a testament to the people who sacrificed themselves for the survival of their colony.

 

It was a ritual of her’s to spend her free time conversing with the stone representative of her father. Yet, it came with repercussions whenever she did. A face, one that she would never forget nor forgive, appeared in her countless thoughts.

 

Her mind unconsciously tensed her body and a wave of anger swelled up. Reacting quickly to her body, she thought of her older sister who acted as her guardian which allowed her body to relax.

 

Upon remembering her sister, she recalled why she woke up earlier than usual.

 

She strolled down to the marketplace where merchants were bustling to set up shop. Since they were recently acknowledged as a sovereign country, there weren’t many opportunities to trade. Even their presence as a global power hadn’t been fully recognized by many races.

 

Imanity’s luxuries wouldn’t catch the eyes of the other exceed except for one, gambling.

 

Many stalls would set up during this time but the exceptional gamblers would have already begun hustling.

 

“So, what it’ll be?”

 

She overheard a man puffed up with confidence attempt to intimidate the female elf who tried to concentrate at the shells in front of her.

 

It was a simple game, the man would put a rock in one of the shells, shuffle the shells around, and you would have to guess where the rock is at the end. Normally, this meant you only had to keep track of the shell that they placed the rock underneath but only an idiot would think that is all there is.

 

Regardless, her pointed ears twitched and her eyes seemed to faintly glow before making a decision.

 

“Then I pick this one.”

 

The elf pointed at the leftmost shell, just as confident as he was.

 

“Sorry lil’ miss!”

 

He lifted the shell to reveal nothing underneath and lifted the middle one to show where the rock was actually at.

 

“As per the pledges please!”

 

Reluctantly, the elf handed over a bag full of gold coins.

 

“Come back anytime, miss!”

 

After the elf had left, she took her spot and placed a heftier bag of coins on the table.

 

“Oho, what’s this? A little girl has come to play?”

 

Stalls like these were common in the territory, meant to take advantage of the exceed that looked down on Imanity. Needless to say, it was a highly profitable business.

 

“I want the money you just got from that elf.”

 

“Oh? But missy, that’s valuable elven money. This amount isn’t enough.”

 

“Covenant Three: ‘In those games, bets of agreed value are to be placed by both parties.’ Am I correct? Then what do you want instead?”

 

“Well... since you so nicely ask... If I win, I want you to prostrate before me... Like a dog and bark. It goes without sayin’, I get all of the money.”

 

There was a trail of drool that came from his mouth until he swiftly wiped himself off. With how the world was now governed, most people allowed their inhibitions to run loose.

 

“Alright. I accept. I swear―”

 

“Hold on missy. If you rush into it, it wouldn’t be much fun. Allow me to introduce you to my game. It’s an easy game. All you got to do is keep your eye on my beautiful shells. I will place a rock under one and you have to choose the shell has the rock under it.”

 

As he explained, he showcased a small, crumbly rock and placed it under the middle shell. Her eyes examined the shells― even picking up one of them to check for irregularities but nothing notable could be seen. Confirming her suspicions, she waved him to continue.

 

“Ah, but there’s a catch! I will shuffle the shells around a couple times so keep your eye on it!”

 

“Are you finished?” 

 

“Err... yes?”

 

““Aschente!””

 

Seeing that she was satisfied, he began to shuffle the shells around. He used long winded movements that even a child could follow. The shells moved in opposites, if one moved towards her, the other would move towards him. With how rough he was pushing down on the table, the scraping noise would easily make one lose focus.

 

Middle.

 

Left.

 

Middle.

 

Right.

 

Her eyes tracked the movements of the correct shell despite how painfully slow he went.

 

Left.

 

Middle.

 

Right.

 

“Okay missy, where is it now?”

 

She thought for a moment and considered her options. She could choose the right shell which should contain the rock but knowing that the elf had failed beforehand, it would be the incorrect choice. The left and middle shell shouldn’t have anything underneath but choosing one of them would be the correct choice.

 

Yet, she knew all of her options were incorrect 

 

“It seems whatever I choose, I will lose. Don’t you think that’s a little unfair?”

 

“Huh? What are you trying to say?”

 

“Covenant eight: ‘Being caught cheating during a game results in a loss.’”

 

She suddenly lifted her leg onto the table, exposing more of her thigh, and grabbed his collar with strength unbefitting of her image.

 

“These shells are all empty.”

 

“Wha― No!”

 

“Then explain yourself!”

 

She made it impossible for him to place another “rock” under the shells while she turned them all over with her other hand. As expected there was nothing under them.

 

“I-It must have fell off! You suddenly stood and―!”

 

“Isn’t it easier to say that there was nothing under them to begin with?”

 

“How can that be!? You have no proof! A-And by flipping them all, aren’t you the one who cheated!?”

 

A devilish smile formed from her lips.

 

“My... you don’t really know who I am, do you?”

 

She loosened her grip on him and surprised him again by taking ahold of his right arm.

 

“I am the Queen’s servant, Nonna Zell. Do you really believe I wouldn’t see through your tricks?”

 

She twisted his arm upward and rolled up his sleeves to show a broken notch of string.

 

“I wondered how you were able to make the ball disappear but it isn’t that hard to see through.”

 

She plucked the string it off and let it fly off with the morning breeze.

 

“These are just rolled up sand! When they are shaken too much, they crumble, and when you shuffle the shells around, they fall through the cracks of this table. A person cannot choose one because there is nothing underneath all of them that is...”

 

She shoved his arm in front of his face.

 

“When you go to show where it actually is, you slip another one in a different shell. Isn’t that right?”

 

Stupefied, he lost the will to resist to her strength. He had been caught cheating which automatically annulled his chances winning.

 

“You lose.”

 

With her declaration, she snatched the bag of coins from the table.

 

Desperate to recuperate his losses, he acted like a victim. 

 

“Don’t... you care...?”

 

Piqued by his question or perhaps she felt pity for him, she let him continue.

 

“...These monsters destroyed our homes without a shred of care. Your family... your friends... everyone you knew. Gone. Well, I―”

 

“I don’t care.”

 

Without hesitation, she cut off his words while dusting off her clothes. Staring down on the pathetic figure of a con artist, she stated her emotions that had been building up.

 

“You say they’re the monsters.”

 

She tied both bags of coins to her waist and started to walk back to the castle.

 

“My only family was killed by another Imanitian.”

 

。

。

。

 

After moving aboveground, their settlement consisted of flimsy tents and only a few were fortunate to have sleeping bags with them. Many races were eager to target the survivors but instead, they lost. Some bet their freedom and were enslaved so with this, the knowledge they carried had been passed down to them. Had they not challenged Imanity for thinking they were easy targets, they would not have been able to build up the kingdom that stood today. The Queen, Couronne Dola, who was previously their colony leader, naturally became the representative of Imanity as she was the first to found a nation.

 

As the nation grew, it became the waypoint for the surviving imanitians to gather to. With a fast-growing population, it would be difficult to maintain public order especially when riots broke out calling for revenge for past grievances with the other exceed.

 

It was not as if Couronne outright dismissed the idea. It was because of the current instability of internal matters that dissuaded the thought.

 

As the first representative of Imanity, she was regarded as the person with the highest status which then somehow translated into royalty. Such a title was bestowed to her overnight without her consent. But since then, she adopted the title to establish her authority as the sole representative and founded the Elchea Kingdom.

 

Returning to the castle, Nonna first reported her return to the people working within.

 

It was not always like this. At first, Couronne refused to take in any servant but after Nonna and her friends offered to take that role, she ended up conceding.

 

“The elves are here to do something outrageous. We must be prepared for anything.”

 

She instructed the others to be wary of them. Magic had not been present for a long time so none of them had actually seen magic. Words could hardly affect the existence of an unknown threat but keeping vigilant helped deter the uneasiness welling up in them.

 

The situation had become like this because they discovered that an important Elven figure had set their eyes on Imanity, going as far as asking for an audience. Nonna assumed their reason for coming was to prevent their people from being taken advantage of since the many races of Disboard had yet to understand what kind of games to play or how to cheat even after several years, unlike the Imanitians whose natural craftiness soon dominated any challenger.

 

She had been tasked with keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity coming from them and to gather information. She was warned beforehand about the dangers of magic so she refrained from following them too much.

 

Keeping this in mind, Nonna explored the library in hopes of finding a book about elves.

 

“Hey... you shouldn’t be speaking like that to me! Aren’t we friends?”

 

“Hmph! I just wanted to know.”

 

“Haha...”

 

Whenever she came in, Nonna would always crassly speak to him. In fact, she didn’t really hold back to the others as well.

 

“But why do you need to know about the elves?”

 

“It’s none of your concern!”

 

Spending most of his day organizing books, news of the elves visiting wouldn’t normally reach his ears. Seeing Nonna intent on learning up on a dangerous race, it shouldn’t surprise him that something involving the elves had occurred.

 

“T-Thanks...”

 

Relying on others was not something she was used to. Even saying ‘thank you’ was difficult.

 

She impatiently departed to her next daily task:

 

Waking up Couronne. This also included wiping off any dirt that might have accumulated from the day before.

 

This origin of how this duty became her responsibility had been long forgotten but without Nonna carrying it out, Couronne would surely oversleep.

 

Reaching the splintered door, Nonna handled the bucket of lukewarm water with care when opening the doors. On her right shoulder were two white, pristine towels and another larger one on her left. She knocked on the door first before entering.

 

She was surprised to see Couronne already up when she entered.

 

“Ah! Nonna! Good morning!”

 

Couronne’s cheerfulness lifted Nonna’s mood.

 

“My Queen, good morning.”

 

Couronne frowned instinctively.

 

“Mou... I told you to call me Onee-chan!”

 

Having experienced many of Couronne’s tricks, Nonna kept her guard up.

 

“You are the most important person here, I cannot call you something so―”

 

“If I am your Queen and I order you to call me Onee-chan...”

 

Couronne mischievous smirk sent chills down Nonna’s back. Her brain scrambled to find a hole in her logic but by the time she reacted to the signals, the situation had gone too far for her to control.

 

“Why don’t we just address each other when you were younger? Ahh... I miss those days!”

 

She desperately needed to stop her from going any further.

 

“But―!”

 

“Being the representative is tough! Managing so many people, everyone wants to do things you can’t afford to waste resources on or they’ll start to resent you while you’re trying to keep a good relationship with other nations so we don’t get invaded. Can’t you do me this one favor... Non~na?”

 

“I cannot! It’s just―”

 

“Okay then! A game it is!”

 

She had fallen into Couronne’s trap once again. Whenever Couronne wanted something to happen, she would force the conversation to steer into a game. This time around was hardly subtle but Nonna wouldn’t accept unless she was dragged by Couronne.

 

Couronne opened her bedside drawer to take out a wooden, rectangular box that clattered whenever she moved.

 

Realizing that there would be no other opportunity to wipe down Couronne, she forced herself to become stern with her.

 

“I have to wipe you down first!”

 

“Oh? There’s no need now, the public bathhouse is finished!”

 

“...Huh?”

 

Such a task should be impossible. There are no extra workers to speed up the construction since most were busy building other residential buildings so overall, little was allocated for this project. At least on the surface, that was what Nonna knew about.

 

“There’s no way... in this amount of time...?”

 

“People surprisingly work faster when I ask them to. Hehe~”

 

Nonna was once again taken aback. There was no doubt in her mind that she had them work day and night with minimal rest just to make up for the lack of manpower.

 

This was not an assumption but an educational guess since learning how the library was made within a day.

 

“While my private bath will take another year to construct, we’ve at least replicated the bath in the cavern.”

 

Internally, Nonna let out a sigh of relief. While Couronne was not abusing her power as representative, these acts might be seen as such. She was afraid of Couronne’s title being usurped because of unjust treatment. However, hearing that she would not be rushing her personal bath meant that she will not use the same tactic.

 

For now, Couronne was satisfied with using the public bathhouse for the time being.

 

She unfolded the wooden box on the bed where tiny pieces of black and white wood fell out. Nonna noticed there were differences with a couple of them, two had flat tops, one had a cross, and two were shaped like horses.

 

Nonna was not unfamiliar with the game since it was popular with more knowledgeable types. The game was undoubtedly chess.

 

Nonna was capable of playing chess and she believed to be on par with the people who proclaimed themselves to be masters of the art. She has never seen Couronne play chess so she could not guess how much skill she possessed.

 

“A few of the pieces started to rot so there wasn’t any other choice but to replace them.”

 

Mixed in were clearly newly carved wood and degraded ones but what stuck out the most to Nonna was how battered the old ones were.

 

“Where... did you find this?”

 

Her question had leaked out unintentionally but fortunately, Couronne was expecting her to be curious about it.

 

“An old friend had given it to me when he...”

 

Nonna wasn’t dense enough to realize what she was trying to hint at and immediately apologized.

 

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make Onee-sama remember bad memories!”

 

She was scared of being scolded. No one had seen Couronne frown as she always smiled whenever she talked and being the first to cause unpleasant emotions meant that she wouldn’t know what could transpire.

 

“No, No! They’re not bad memories, in fact, they’re memories I will always cherish! Anyways! We’ve got a game to play!”

 

Her worries had been quelled in an instant. Truly, Nonna’s fervent feelings of loyalty towards Couronne had renewed itself. She will continue to be their benevolent Queen and lead them to a prosperous future, that was what Nonna believed.

 

“Alright! If I win, you will forever call me Onee-chan... and join me for a bath! Now, what do you want if you win?”

 

She immediately regretted placing her trust in her.

 

“N-Nothing! I couldn’t force Onee-sama into doing something she doesn’t want to do.”

 

“Eh...? You say that but you’re willing to do something you don’t want to do?”

 

Another one of Couronne mischievous smirk took her by surprise.

 

“So that means Nonna wants to call me Onee-chan and wants to bathe with me?”

 

“You’ve g-got it all wrong!”

 

“My adorable little sister can’t be honest with herself!”

 

Couronne’s teasing pushed her to forget about her own words.

 

“F-Fine! If I win, you will have to tell me... how did... You will truthfully answer one question of mine!”

 

It looked like the bets were uneven but to Nonna’s eyes, obtaining the answer to one of her life’s greatest mysteries meant everything to her.

 

“Hmm... okay, I will accept your bet.”

 

““Aschente!””

 

。

。

。

 

“It’s been a while since we’ve done this!”

 

Couronne gleefully washed Nonna’s hair.

 

“I wish there was some way to make our hair smell nice after.”

 

She sighed heavily as if the topic had been weighing on her mind frequently.

 

“I promise Nonna would be the first to try it if I find a way!”

 

Nonna fidgeted in place, unsure if she should say anything.

 

“When this is officially opened to the public, I will also announce that using the river as a bath is prohibited. After all, washing ourselves where we drink probably isn’t a good idea.”

 

She traced the contours of her body to apply hot water and wipe off the dirt that stuck. When she was finished, she refilled the wooden bucket for herself and directed Nonna to the designated bathing area.

 

“I’ll come join you when I’m done cleaning myself. Don’t forget to enjoy yourself!”

 

Due to the steam filling up the room, it caused her to inadvertently blush, not to mention being extensively touched by another person. The warm bath appeared to be more inviting, wanting to wash her worries away.

 

However, she had no idea what to do in this scenario. Taking a bath was a daily activity but taking one purely for their enjoyment was unheard of. In addition, sharing an enclosed space with another person felt more perverse than out in the open. As such, she couldn’t remain calm and furiously ran through each individual thought to decide which might be applicable.

 

Once Nonna sat down on the smooth rocks, her thoughts had instantly vanished. Something about the calm, warm water running through her skin felt relaxing. Her body loosened up as she slowly sunk deeper into the water stopping once she reached her shoulders.

 

“I’m glad Nonna is having fun!”

 

Shocked, she jolted out of the water and caused water to splash everywhere.

 

“Ah! Be careful! You might trip if you move suddenly.”

 

She had gotten too relaxed where she had forgotten about Couronne’s company.

 

“O-Okay...”

 

She sat back down but it was far from over.

 

“Well since I won... how about calling me Onee-chan now?”

 

She rarely called her that way since she had grown accustomed to Couronne’s higher status and besides, she isn’t at the befitting age to call her with that much familiarity. True, Couronne was basically her older sister and foster parent since losing both when she was younger but nevertheless, her feelings towards the matter barely fell short of her duties.

 

“Pleeease?”

 

Couronne continued her advancement while Nonna gradually sunk deeper into the water until the base of her lips touched the surface.

 

“...Onee-chan...”

 

“AHHHH!!!”

 

Elated by Nonna’s compliance, she squeezed her head upon her chest.

 

“Onee-chan! Your chest...!”

 

“Again! Again!”

 

“Onee-chan... I’m... suffocating...”

 

“Ah? Oh! Hang in there, Nonna!”

 

She let go of Nonna’s head and returned to immersing herself in the water’s embrace.

 

“Haaaaaah...”

 

Letting out the stress built up over the years, Couronne drifted off in euphoria. This was the first time she was able to relax. As her mind wafted through a fog of carefree haziness, a sudden thought shone and brought her senses back alive.

 

“Nonna, if you’d like, I can still answer the question you had in mind.”

 

She wasn’t obligated to answer but she was curious why Nonna didn’t outright say it.

 

Hearing Couronne’s proposal, Nonna sunk further into the water.

 

“You can ask your Onee-chan anything!”

 

“Well... I was wondering...”

 

She hesitated from asking her out of fear. Perhaps it was a question best left unanswered.

 

“How did... Onee-chan get breasts that big? How can I―”

 

“S-So it’s that type of question!”

 

She stumbled over her words, finally feeling the embarrassment of sharing a bath with another person.

 

First, she glanced at Nonna’s chest and judged it impartially― until she realized that impartially judging it would destroy Nonna’s hopes so she judged it subjectively albeit heavily.

 

“Maybe eating more meals would help?”

 

“Onee-chan doesn’t have to lie! I can take whatever you have to say!”

 

Her determination blinded Couronne’s foolishness and inspired her to come clean.

 

“Since Nonna looks prepared... well... it’s impossible for you.”

 

Devastation.

 

From what used to be the eyes of a spirited young lady, now remains a pair of empty eyes, devoid of any light.

 

“Oh...”

 

“I’m sorry, Nonna! I’m sure that if you eat more, your chest will develop faster! No―! It will develop faster! I will help you as much as possible!”

 

Trying to repair what was left of Nonna, she once again buried Nonna’s head in her chest, unknowingly deepening the trauma.

 

Nonna, on the other hand, was honestly having fun fooling around with Couronne although, her heart ached having to bury her desire to know.

 

。

。

。

 

Traumatized by what occurred in the bathhouse, not by nearly suffocating but by the enormous difference of their assets which left untouched could be used as a weapon, Nonna returned to her room after having lunch with Couronne.

 

Her room was shared between a couple of her friends. They all worked in different areas of the castle but they would gather around to gossip or play games during their break.

 

When she entered, they were already playing a new game. Four of them were sitting in a circle holding white parchment in their hands. Getting closer to them showed that there were pictures crudely drawn on one side and a number on the top left corner. She could almost make them out as drawings of shapes but she couldn’t tell for sure.

 

“What are you guys playing?”

 

“Nonna’s arrived!”

 

“It’s a new game that I made.”

 

“I helped drawing it!”

 

“Ah... I lost...”

 

The four clamored after she asked them a question.

 

“We’ll show you! Since Yuna lost, you can take her place.”

 

Her words were ruthless but Nonna could only sympathize since Yuna was usually the first to lose whenever they played something.

 

“What are these things?”

 

She picked one up and laid it straight atop her hand.

 

“Liza calls these ‘cards’ though I think it sounds ridiculous.”

 

“Ca-rd?”

 

Having never heard of the word, repeating it felt awkward.

 

“Don’t call them ridiculous! If anything, your drawings are ridiculous.”

 

“Ah... do you really think... my drawings... are ridiculous...?”

 

The two’s bickering had unintentionally delivered a devastating blow to his ego.

 

“Er... well...”

 

“Is it true!? Keith, tell me she’s lying!”

“Umm...”

 

“Yuna? You too?”

 

“Kaz, I won’t be able to learn about the game if you don’t continue.”

 

“Yes, Nonna...”

 

After clearing his throat an uncomfortable amount of times, he continued explaining.

 

“Alright, the players are me, Nonna, Keith, and Liza. In a moment, I will hand out every player cards until there is no more.”

 

As per his instructions, he handed each player 13 cards.

 

“Eh, but there’s an extra?”

 

“The extra is the Queen, Couronnenee-sama. The goal of this game is to end up with this. During this game, the person with the extra will choose a card from the person to their right. Keep your cards hidden or we will know what you have! Now, when you look at your cards, any two cards that have the same number must be put down together.”

 

She picked up the cards and looked through for any pairs. Finding that she three pairs, she put them together and put them in front of her.

 

“Just like that. Each number has four copies excluding the extra. If you run out of cards, you lose. That’s it.”

 

The concept of the game was simple yet intriguing. Naturally, she had questions about it.

 

“I get how to play but how did Liza make this?”

 

“I didn’t. There was this kid who challenged me for my lunch. Ah... I can’t believe I lost!”

 

“Did you ask for his name?”

 

“He disappeared right after but the joke’s on him! I memorized this game of his!”

 

Nonna assumed it was an original game made by them but upon hearing that a mysterious boy had created it, a small hint of excitement had been ignited.

 

“Hmm... okay, let’s get started.”

 

Being on the right of Kaz, who had the extra, she arranged herself to face him. He took a card from her hand and placed down the pair of eights.

 

“Now it’s Nonna’s turn.”

 

She looked towards her right where Liza was cowering in fear.

 

“No-Nonna’s face looks scary!”

 

Despite being new to the game, she already gleamed three certainties about the nature of this game: read your opponents’ reactions, keep yourself composed, and give out misinformation. Since she didn’t have the Queen card, she would have to somehow get it from one of them.

 

She hovered over her cards, trying to evoke some sort of reaction from her and succeeded in startling her when she pinched down on one.

 

However...

 

That was not the card Nonna chose. Instead, she opted for the card leftmost since it was the furthest away from the card she initially pinched down. As such, the card she received was the Queen card.

 

“As expected of Nonna.”

 

Having practiced on one another countless times, they all developed a keen sense of detecting cheats, habits, and a general sense of each other’s playstyle. This way, not only are they able to catch cheaters, but they are also highly proficient in many types of games.

 

Within the shared room of their’s, anything was allowed, from sabotaging one another to rigging the game from the start. If they couldn’t adapt quick enough, they would lose.

 

They each exchanged cards, placing down a pair when possible, and then it was Nonna’s turn again to be picked from.

 

“I love you, please go out with me.”

 

“No.”

 

Nonna coldly turned down Kaz’s confession while maintaining a straight face and her eyes focused on his. She did this so he couldn’t use the reflections from her eyes to see what cards she has and to prevent him from reading into her. His confession is also just another tactic to somehow fluster her and while she would flail in embarrassment, look at her cards.

 

“Tch. I choose this one.”

 

“Fine with me.”

 

“Actually...”

 

The card that he hovered above was the Queen card but he hesitated because of her willingness. Nonna’s eyes tracked the movement of his frantic eyes which quickly glanced over to the left before returning to her cards.

 

“I will actually take this one.”

 

He ended up taking the Queen card but for different reasons than she first anticipated. His eyes did glance towards her right after all.

 

“Haah... If you guys are going to work together then I won’t hold back anymore.”

 

“Since when did Nonna hold back for us?”

 

The other three held similar thoughts to Yuna’s comment. Even if she wasn’t playing with them, she was handing out information. Nonna did not know how she managed to tell him which card was which since she shuffled them after taking it from Liza.

 

They all respected Nonna’s extraordinary ability to determine how a person was able to cheat so they all silently agreed to work together. They were all still aiming to win but with a foe that they all couldn’t defeat, they thought of a plan beforehand to give Nonna her first loss.

 

Nonna counted out her five cards: 4, 3, 7, 10, 12. Since 4 and 8 already had pairs placed down, it would be more likely for her to grab any one of her numbers from Liza who held eight cards. If strictly speaking, Nonna felt that she had the best advantage for keeping the smallest hand because it meant that she could preserve her hand size unlike the rest who would match pairs more often.

 

She also took account of her opponent’s cards: to her right, Liza had eight cards, to her left, Kaz had six card which one was the Queen, and across from her, Keith had six cards as well. The Queen can only move if the person to their left chooses the correct card. However, if all three, including the one spectator, are all working together, it gets harder to determine where the Queen goes.

 

Certainly, if four people go up against one person, it should be a disadvantage but understanding that they will only move cards in the best possible way gives Nonna crucial information when making a decision. Not only that, deciphering how they exchange information without being detected will bolster her chances of defeating them.

 

There was also the option of revealing how they cheat where they’ll all be disqualified but it would defeat the purpose of this exercise.

 

Their conversations became stagnant as the air around them seemed to fuel the quiet flame of competition.

 

It was Nonna’s turn and she softly folded her cards up in a neat pile before ordering them individually in front of her. She took one card from Liza’s hand and placed it face up.

 

She showed them all it was a 5.

 

They were all at a loss as to what her plan was.

 

“Umm... Nonna, you’re supposed to keep them hidden.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because... we’ll know what cards you have?”

 

“So?”

 

Again, they were all unsure what to say back and continued to exchange cards. Keith placed down a pair of 2’s and Kaz placed down a pair of 7’s after taking from Nonna’s hand. Taking a card from Liza, Nonna placed down a pair of 12’s.

 

The three placed down the last 12’s, 8’s, and a pair of 10’s.

 

She counted the cards once again: Kaz and Keith had two left, Liza had six, and she held three of them with the 5 facing up.

 

Taking from Liza, she received a 7 but this time, she didn’t put it face up and simply placed it face down. Without shuffling them, it was obvious which card it was but it wouldn’t matter to Nonna.

 

Once again, they exchanged cards and placed down the last pair of 10’s and 13’s.

 

While Keith only had one card left, Liza would be forced to take that card and he would have no cards left. 

 

Nonna’s 7 was taken and she took a 4 from Liza which unfortunately was a pair in her hand. Liza paired another two cards and Keith was subsequently eliminated from the game.

 

“This is what I mean Nonna! You can’t show your cards or else we’ll know!”

 

With that, Kaz took the last face-down card Nonna had, the 3. From here, Nonna was certain of her victory.

 

Nonna took the 7 from Liza and Liza placed down the pair of 3’s after taking from Kaz which eliminated her from the game.

 

“I hate to admit it...”

 

Nonna crawled over to Kaz, disregarding dishelving her clothes to reveal vulnerabilities in the gaps of her shirt, and got close enough that her breath could be felt on his neck. He hid his cards defensively but that wasn’t her objective.

 

“I really do... love you.”

 

Her seductive whisper slithered into his ears and coiled around his thoughts, throwing his mind in disarray. 

 

It wasn’t until she returned to her spot that the four had noticed what she had done.

 

The 5 that was face up was now face down.

 

They were all focused on Nonna’s strange behavior that they all forgot to keep watch on her cards.

 

“Wait! Nonna, do you really mean it?”

 

“Of course not, I was showing you how to appropriately confess your feelings.”

 

“Oh... is that... so...”

 

“Ouch...”

 

The three spectators could only voice their sympathies for the love-struck boy whose chances were shot down before they were even a possibility.

 

“If you all played perfectly then my win condition would be obvious. I only have to play along and hand you guys the best possible card while revealing the worst possible card that I have. In doing so, you would eliminate yourselves to give the last person the best possible chance of eliminating me. But since the card I showed you is now hidden with Liza’s 7, it’s just a game of chance now.”

 

Granted, if no one was paying attention to her while she performed her act, it would work but this came with conditions that if it hadn’t been them, this trick would never work. In addition, knowing that her chances of winning dwindled after discerning the fact they were working together, she needed to rely on leaving it up to pure dumb luck.

 

The four were astonished at her ability to distinguish an escape route from their inescapable teamwork but her lack of restraint was what they feared most. If this was a game-deciding your life or all of your possessions, one would instinctively win through skill but Nonna allowed the game to dictate her victory or loss through random chance.

 

Whichever card Kaz chooses, it will match up with one of his but afterwards, Nonna’s victory is only if she chooses the Queen card from him and then Kaz must choose incorrectly.

 

A 25% chance against Kaz’s favorable 50%.

 

“Ah... but Nonna, wouldn’t that mean that your confession was useless as it would be the same result regardless?”

 

What Yuna said was true, it wouldn’t have mattered since revealing the 5 beforehand allowed herself to this position so flustering Kaz would be a pointless venture.

 

“W-What are you saying? It was for me to get information out of him!”

 

An absolute lie, they were all aware of this.

 

“My heart was broken... for nothing...?”

 

Dejectedly, he took a card from her and placed down a pair of 5.

 

Now it all came down to this. A 50% chance for Nonna to lose or it could go into a back and forth with them handing over the Queen card. With guilt forming in her throat, she chose the card to her ri―

 

“Nonna, I think Couronnenee-sama’s audience is starting soon.”

 

Having her focus interrupted by Yuna, she looked out of the window and saw that it had become evening. They initially received a letter from the elves calling for an audience so that had saved them the trouble of inviting them themselves. Nonna was taking part in case it escalates to a game.

 

“We’ll finish this up later then.”

 

She stood up from the floor and gave them her goodbye before leaving for the throne room.

 

A deep breath of relief came from Kaz.

 

“For a moment there I thought I was going to crumble under all of the pressure.”

 

“What order did you put your cards in?”

 

“I hadn’t moved the Queen from my right since I took it from Nonna but I was pretty sure she was going to grab it.”

 

“But wasn’t she going for the card on your left?”

 

“I’m certain she was trying to scare me like what she did with Liza. I don’t think I would have won.”

 

They all got the cards back into a pile and started to shuffle them around not knowing that this would have been Nonna’s first defeat.

 

。

。

。

 

While Imanity’s craftsmen lack rudimentary construction skills, their imagination was plentiful and as a result, they were adamant about detailing the throne room. A place where delegates from other nations first step into must accordingly impress them yet they couldn’t use the throne room for the elves as they would openly mock their creation. They opted to use a meeting room where its purpose is not for its grandeur but the simpleness of the objective.

 

Sitting across from the representatives of the Elven nation were four people: Couronne, Nonna who menacingly analyzed the features of the elves, a record keeper whose sole job is to write the events taking place, and an advisor for Couronne to keep up with appearances.

 

Noting the sharp ears the three elves held and the slight glimmer of light within their eyes, Nonna restlessly bit her cheek. It wasn’t very long ago that the race who sat in front of them were designers of lethal magic so while she barely kept her cool and the two others visibly afraid, Couronne locked eyes with who appeared to be their leader. 

 

“We, from the Elchea Kingdom, humbly welcome the representations sent from Elven Gard.”

 

Nonna hadn’t heard of the name before since relevant news was hard to come by without a reliable source of information but it seemed Couronne knew something about the elves movements.

 

“Talking monkeys should refrain from using our home’s name. It is quite distasting to hear.”

 

“Watch what you―!”

 

“Nonna, do not interrupt. I apologize for the behavior my follower has shown you.”

 

Before she could reprimand how rude the elf was speaking, she was silenced by Couronne’s hand.

 

It was shortly after that she had realized what Couronne had done. She instigated the elves by revealing information that no one outside their nation should know. Who knows what else Couronne might know of, as far as they’re concerned, there was no secret kept hidden.

 

“I am Imanity’s representative, Couronne Dola.”

 

Couronne introduced herself and waited for the Elves to do the same but after seeing how they weren’t interested in reciprocating the greeting, she continued onto the next affair. 

 

“I have heard from my advisors that your follower had lost money while playing in our country and so, we request that you accept our gift.”

 

The advisor right of Couronne presented the bag of coins Nonna had won. He walked over to their side, left it by her side, and hurriedly retreated pale-faced.

 

It appeared as if she was disinterested in the money but she happily checked the contents.

 

The Elven woman took a coin from inside and toyed with it. After fiddling with it, Nonna felt the air inside change, prickling with a tingling sensation.

 

The coin in her hand electrified as visible sparks began to swarm the coin until it burst from her hand and shot across the room, nearly hitting Couronne’s hair, and stopping once it hit the wall behind her. Had the Covenants not been established, it would have been a different result.

 

Nonna was once again about to flare up in rage but Couronne continued her talk without flinching.

 

“We are glad that the elves find establishing a relationship with us is worthwhile.”

 

Under all of the pretense, Nonna felt that these empty words were meant to provoke the person in front of her in retaliation since the elves would never lower themselves to a lesser species, much less Imanity.

 

Just once, Nonna witnessed a different expression from the elf, an unpleasant one.

 

“Do not get ahead of yourselves, ‘bets sworn upon the Covenants must be honored.’ We will not accept this gift.”

 

With her refusal, the advisor nervously looked to Couronne who signaled for him to retrieve it. Despite nearly fainting, he carried out her order.

 

This was the first time they had acted rationally. For how much longer, Nonna wasn’t willing to test them.

 

“We are here to reclaim the land you talking monkeys stole from us.”

 

“What!?”

 

Nonna, now unable to contain herself any longer, seething uncontrollably with anger exclaimed in confusion.

 

“‘All murder, war, and theft are prohibited in this world.’ Are we mistaken?” You have founded your slum in our land. We have overlooked this matter until such time has come to discuss reparations.”

 

“You claim that Imanity stole land from the elves but that was before the Covenants were founded. As such, your claim is illogical.”

 

“Founding a nation takes years and if other nations do not recognize it as a nation... it is no different from dirty animals pretending to be civilized.”

 

The two ignored Nonna’s outburst as they were engaged in an escalating argument.

 

If one were to see it in their perspective, it would make sense that stealing land without playing a game to relinquish ownership conflicts with the First Covenant. But looking at Couronne’s point would appear as if the remaining colonists took the land before the Covenants were founded. Both interpretations contradicted each other but confirming either’s approach is impossible without someone present at the time.

 

“Then let’s play a game!”

 

An unknown voice came from the center of the table.

 

It was bewildering to Nonna that a boy was able to enter the room without being noticed.

 

The elves were acting strange, she couldn’t fathom why they were acting wary around a young boy. On the other hand, Couronne was taken by surprise.

 

“Tet!?”

 

It was the name of the One True God. The residents of Disboard knew of his name but only a few had ever seen him in person. 

 

“A game is not needed if they stole from us first!”

 

“We hadn’t stolen anything!”

 

The accompanying elves seemed to mirror Nonna’s outburst.

 

“Hmm... why not settle it over a game? The Elves see Imanity’s foundation was based on stolen land so if they win, you will recognize them as a nation with what current land they have. And if Imanity loses, they will be forced to give up everything in their settlements.”

 

The two parties were speechless to Tet’s proposition because it came with both promising merits and detriments. Having a powerful exceed recognize their nation meant that other exceed would have to see Imanity as an opponent and opening up prospects. However, if they lose, it meant losing everything and possibly marking the end of Imanity.

 

“Since it was Imanity who invaded their land, they will be unable to decide the game.”

 

The two accompanying elves grimaced at Tet.

 

“So it’s true that they stole our land!”

 

“It seems that children aren't the only ones capable of whining pathetically. Have the pledges reduced all of the elves to this state?”

 

If Tet was willing to be their impartial third party then this could be all sorted out since he must know whether or not Imanity had rightfully claimed this land but as expected, he would much rather settle things through a game.

 

Their leader appeared to concentrate for a little before speaking up.

 

“We agree on the terms.”

 

Couronne, too, made up her mind.

 

“We accept the conditions.”

 

“Playing games is so much fun, wouldn’t you all agree?”

 

A cheerful smirk came from the boy teeming with enthusiasm but for Nonna, it felt more sadistic than an innocent question. A person’s life could be decided over the outcome of a game or in this case, the lives of all Imanitians in their kingdom. For the Elves, it was just a matter of using a roundabout way to obtain what they wanted since war was now abolished.

 

Nonna watched the carefree god laugh leisurely at their expense. She believed the boy was deluded with a twisted idea that playing games could remotely be considered fun now. But what could she do if the boy controlled the world at the palm of his hand?

 

They hadn’t taken their eyes off him yet somehow, he vanished without them noticing which thereby signaled the end of the meeting.

 

“We will need some time to prepare our game.”

 

“Are the elves incapable of playing a simple game?”

 

Nonna was still reacting defensively and spoke without thinking.

 

“Don’t be so haughty. I wouldn’t be treating this game lightly especially when it comes to your worthless lives.”

 

Once again to defuse the two’s anger, Couronne stepped in.

 

“We’ll meet again tomorrow when you are finished with your preparations. If you need any assistance, my advisors will gladly lend you a hand.”

 

She hastily dragged Nonna out to immobilize her and render her from causing any more trouble.

 

Couronne loosened her grip once they reached her room. She forced Nonna to sit quietly on her bed while she let her complaints out.

 

“Mou... Nonna... Picking a fight with the elves is just asking for trouble!”

 

“Onee-chan would never lower her pride to the elves!”

 

“Haah... I just don’t get you guys. Didn’t all of you want me to act more like a proper ruler?”

 

Reflecting back on her actions, Nonna felt she was the one being immature. She pushed Couronne to act more like a leader while forgetting to acknowledge her own position.

 

“I know that the elves were planning to intimidate us into giving up our land but... how could I do that? I am no longer responsible for a small group but all of Imanity...”

 

She sat next to Nonna and cupped her hands with Nonna’s.

 

“Do you know why I asked for you to participate?”

 

After calming down for a little, she recalled the reason for her presence.

 

“If they challenged Onee-chan to a game, I would be the one to play it.”

 

“Yes... At first, I was strongly against it―”

 

“I will not lose to anyone other than Onee-chan!”

 

She proudly declared what she believed in but Couronne simply shook her head.

 

“You’ve never seen magic before until today. I do not know how magic works except that when cast, people that I care about disappear.”

 

Nonna felt Couronne’s hands tremble.

 

“I called for you because you are the best chance for Imanity if I couldn’t carry out my responsibilities. Knowing the elves... magic was inevitable yet I was still scared of that magic.”

 

Perplexed, Nonna watched on as Couronne began tearing up.

 

“I c-can’t show fear as t-the leader but I was scared! *hic* I-I...”

 

She buried her face in Nonna’s shoulder, drenching the sleeves of her shirt.

 

Nonna found herself unable to comfort Couronne, how could she empathize? If Couronne represented all of Imanity, she must maintain the dignity of an ideal leader. But in truth, she was nothing more than a delegated leader who sought to survive during a time of chaos.

 

You would be considered extremely fortunate if you weren’t swept up in the crossfire. Thinking about the countless lives lost to the destructiveness of magic, it isn’t simple enough to say that most of the older residents of Elchea Kingdom have a deep-rooted fear of magic. There were those who had worse symptoms, a literal fear of the other exceed.

 

While Nonna might share a few painful experiences, her father’s ambiguous death helped her bear the pain but Couronne had to remember each individual that perished under her watch.

 

How could she emphasize?

 

。

。

。

 

Having tiring herself out, Couronne and Nonna both fell asleep. It was late into the night before Nonna woke up.

 

Under such drowsy eyes, the warmth of Couronne’s arms wrapped around her made her reluctant to wake up. It was only when she realized that Couronne’s arms were around her that her mind became alert. It was only then when she realized that she had slept with Couronne that her mind became much clearer.

 

She needed to break out from her arms without waking her.

 

Luckily, her slim body allowed her to slip out from her grip though Nonna took a mental hit from this.

 

She pulled the blanket back up after getting out. It would be bad if she got sick.

 

Her first priority was to gather information. Spying on the elves would be risky if magic was involved as her presence might be known. She wasn’t sure if there existed such magic but seeing the flexibility of magic meant she wouldn’t be careless. Talking to the residents would be impractical at the moment so that would be left once morning came, leaving her with one last choice.

 

Visiting the library at this time would normally be forbidden but since she knew the person in charge of the place, she could easily gain access.

 

“Couldn’t this wait until morning?”

 

“No.”

 

“Haah... waking me up... not even telling me what...”

 

Allowing his heart to grumble, he held the lantern up to illuminate the bookcases. Currently, they housed around a few hundreds of books, most of which were diaries or journals there were salvaged from the ruins of several colonies. He tasked himself to preserving them as well as rewriting those that were past saving.

 

This tedious task was mostly done by himself so he was very familiar with each book.

 

“Does it have to do with the elves? I am certain that there is nothing here about the elves.”

 

He was growing impatient, having to be Nonna’s nightlight without having a clue to what she was looking for.

 

“What about magic?”

 

It was clear to him that she was trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible but with no one else around, it was pointless to do.

 

“Magic?”

 

It wasn’t the first time he had heard the word. Most of the people in the kingdom would often use that word when describing the other exceed but no one went in depth about it. To them, magic was something used to create devastating events. Not only that, most of the books would recall the consequences when magic was used. One particularly went through the extreme and studied the so-called “magic”.

 

“There’s one book that might be what you’re looking for.”

 

He led Nonna around until he found the bookcase full of deteriorating journals. He was in the process of rewriting them into new books so they would only be there as a placeholder. It was a special case this time as he directly took one that was severely burnt at the edges and mold thriving in the crevices of each page.

 

“This one has recorded the anatomy of an Ex-Machina. How they were able to obtain the information written down, I have no clue. I do have theories though, they might have taken an unresponsive body and studied it―”

 

“Thank you.”

 

If she hadn’t stopped him there, he might have continued to monologue until he tangents off into another topic where it would start all over.

 

Unfortunately, reading it was impossible for her because the text was either illegible or missing a large portion.

 

“I can’t read it.”

 

“What?”

 

Her whispers were too quiet for him to hear.

 

“Speak louder.”

 

His loud voice, on the other hand, broke the silence around them.

 

“Are you an idiot!?”

 

Her voice followed along and they were already nearly yelling at each other. In the dead silence of the night, if someone were to be in the building, they would absolutely be heard.

 

“I don’t get it, just speak normally. There isn’t anyone awake.”

 

“What if... they’re listening?”

 

Out of every scenario he imagined, he would have never guessed Nonna had finally gone crazy.

 

“Are you... oh no... I can hear them, they’re telling me something.”

 

“W-What is it?”

 

He couldn’t tell if Nonna was genuinely being scared or if she was mocking him but a chance had shown itself for revenge.

 

“That you are the stupidest person I’ve met. Don’t you think that if they could hear us they could hear us regardless of us whispering? We might as well announce that we are looking into their magic.”

 

In an instant, a punch had landed on his shoulder.

 

“Idiot! Just tell me what’s written in this book!”

 

If it weren’t for the cover of the night, he would be able to savor the fact that Nonna’s embarrassing face was in full sight.

 

“Okay, okay, I’ll focus now.”

 

He cleared his throat in preparation for a long explanation.

 

“The book contains a drawing of an Ex-Machina as well as several observational statements. However, I do not believe it was a person who was simply studying it. To me, this was written in a way where they were preserving its image.”

 

“How does that make sense?”

 

“Think about it this way, if you were to write about something important to you, you would write as much as possible. If it were something you had no interest in, you wouldn’t put as much effort. There is the possibility of this person’s obsession being the Ex-Machina but... why would they include drawings?”

 

“A drawing would help another person see what they were writing about.”

 

“Normally that would be true, but I do not think that is the case.”

 

He flipped through the pages and stopped on a page full of small, smudged drawings.

 

“I want you to think, ‘How would a person during the war feel?’ This book, no, all of these books left behind those who perished wanted to leave behind something. One wrote about cursing their luck, another the numbered days they survived outside their colony, or―”

 

“You are going off on another topic...”

 

Seeing Nonna had become grim, he admonished himself for letting his habit run loose.

 

“My mistake, getting back to what was written inside. The pictures try to make sense of how this Ex-Machina is able to use ‘magic’. The body concentrates something invisible to our eye and evokes a certain response using keywords.”

 

Without having to look, he already knew that Nonna couldn’t grasp the concept. 

 

“In order for magic to appear, there must be something giving fuel for it. We’ve always looked at magic as something miraculous but this person saw it was much more than that. If we were able to understand the concept behind how magic works, we might be able to use it ourselves.”

 

“So... if we find the source of the fuel then we could stop magic from happening?”

 

“Not exactly. It is, unfortunately, all around us. Do you remember why we had to be underground?”

 

It was a simple question for Nonna.

 

“The air had Black Ash and inhaling it would eat you up from inside.”

 

“Yes, that was the reason. I want to ask another question, what is Black Ash or ashes of what?”

 

The two became silent. His question was not meant to be answered because the answer had been told to them long ago.

 

“What if... the Black Ash was not the ashes of people but the remains of magic? With the scale of destructive magic in the past, nothing alive would be left behind, including the fuel for magic.”

 

He continued to flip to another page before talking about his final conclusion.

 

“With how the person explains how the Ex-Machina concentrate energy, maybe what is being concentrated is actually something alive.”

 

If Nonna hadn’t come here with a reason to study how the elves were able to use magic, she might have dismissed his claim without a second thought. At the same time, his claim was outrageous, purely basing most of it on the writings of an unknown person which made it hard to believe.

 

“Do you think magic can be used differently?”

 

She had her doubts about his theory but it was her only clue.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

For him to understand the situation better, she explained what the elves had used during their meeting.

 

“Is Nee-sama alright!?”

 

“She is fine. They can’t do anything to her without breaking the pledges. Can magic... be used to take control of someone?”

 

Seeing the seriousness of the potential issue that could arise, he reflexively lowered his voice like Nonna had at the start.

 

“I cannot rule out the possibility. Do not leave Nee-sama’s side.”

 

The atmosphere around them became heavy. If they had a way to detect magic then all of Nonna’s concerns would be lifted but as of right now, she was certain that the next time they meet, they would be powerless to stop them.

 

She could prepare some countermeasures but not against everything. In addition, making too many preparations could lead to confusion.

 

“Say... do you think Nee-sama thought about this?”

 

His question didn’t really mean much as they were both sure Couronne had foreseen a situation like this but whether she was prepared to handle it, Nonna was uncertain. She believed Couronne couldn’t be beaten by normal means.   
  


However, she also believed that magic can adapt to somehow assist those can use it. By no means playing a game with someone capable of magic is considered a normal game anymore.

 

“I... I think Onee-chan will lose.”

 

The statement didn’t surprise him, they were against a foe who understood the new rules of the world. Nonna had been mainly winning games by exposing her opponent’s methods of cheating but now, there was nothing she could do. 

 

How do you explain that using magic is cheating?

 

“If Nee-sama is going to lose, what can we do to stop it?”

 

Nonna desperately searched for an answer. What could they do to stop it? They can’t stop magic from being used nor could they explain that using magic was cheating. What else could they do?

 

“What about we... offer something better?”

 

Usually, when Nonna met a person who refused to play against her, she would bet something enticing to have them play.

 

“That may work but Nee-sama called them representatives. They would be in no position to change the contents of the bet.”

 

The two racked their brains together but neither could come up with a worthwhile solution while Imanity’s inevitable eviction inched closer.

 

。

。

。

 

As soon as morning came, Nonna returned to Couronne’s bedroom to attend to her usual responsibilities. She stopped in front of the door seeing it ajar.

 

Hearing voices from inside, she came closer to listen before making any rash decisions.

 

“...are unusual, but moving as expected. I suggest watching for more suspicious activity.”

 

She overheard a voice she couldn’t recognize. Although muffled, it was a male voice.

 

“See if you can look into the names of these individuals. Pass down what I’ve told you to the others.”

 

She recognized that this was Couronne’s voice.

 

“Understood.”

 

It signaled the end of their conversation so she carelessly ran to the end of the hallway to hide around the corner.

 

With her back to the wall, she waited for the mysterious person to leave.

 

The mysterious man, however, turned to her hallway and looked at Nonna. He was extremely covered up, leaving no inch of his body exposed. She could easily tell that his right arm had been amputated. He scoffed before vanishing in the veil of the retreating dusk.

 

It was almost like she witnessed a ghost disappear.

 

She was convinced that he knew that she had eavesdropped on them. 

 

Who was this mysterious person? He didn’t show any sort of hostility toward her or Couronne but it wouldn’t entirely rule out him being a dangerous person. His identity also appeared to be well known by Couronne so she could ask her.

 

Nevertheless, she had duties to attend to. She returned to Couronne’s bedroom and entered.

 

Seeing Couronne crawling back to bed, she stopped her while her back was turned.

 

“Onee-chan, who was that?”

 

Her spine jolted hearing Nonna’s voice.

 

“A-Ah, Nonna! You’re up early.”

 

With a forced smile, she fixed herself to face Nonna.

 

“Who are you talking about?”

 

It was clear that she didn’t want to talk about it. This only assisted in uncovering his identity, however, as only highly secretive information must stay within the people involved. Someone like herself could not know.

 

In any case, she chose to steer it in another direction:

 

She would detract the conversation to feign ignorance.

 

“Hmm... I understand now.”

 

“Understand... what?”

 

“That Onee-chan has a secret lover.”

 

It was a lighthearted joke, Nonna knew Couronne could never come to like anyone. The day where leaves behind a descendant would be a joyous occasion but Nonna would have some mixed reception. She could not admit it but, she did enjoy having Couronne’s attention.

 

“No! No! No! NO! Nonna!”

 

She got up instantly and covered Nonna’s mouth with her hands.

 

“You-You-You must not tell anyone!”

 

Huh?

 

The older sister that she admired from far away was suddenly blushing, desperate to stop Nonna from speaking any further.

 

“He’s someone not important! No― well, he is. NO! He’s nobody!”

 

Her initial thoughts were that of a spy which could explain how Couronne was able to discern the state the elven nation was in. Not only that, everything about his outfit was obviously screaming espionage, but with Couronne’s adverse reaction, it would seem he is more than that.

 

Her legs trembled, threatening to buckle under all of the pressure. Unfortunately for Nonna, the brain can process information astonishingly quick, not giving her a chance to convince herself otherwise.

 

“It... was a... joke...”

 

“Yes! Haha! It was just a joke! Huh? Nonna? Wait! Don’t pass out! Nonna!”

 

With her final breath, she finally fainted from the shock.

 

A few minutes passed before she showed signs of regaining consciousness. Her head had been placed on Couronne’s lap while her hair was being gently stroked. Upon realizing this, she immediately resuscitated and sprung herself off.

 

“Wha-! Nonna! I’m glad that you’re okay!”

 

Still feeling lightheaded, she collected her thoughts together.

 

“I knew calling him here was a mistake.”

 

She studied the man from what she could remember and let her curiosity roam.

 

“So... who was that person?”

 

Keeping it a secret was difficult now that Nonna had already mostly figured him out. 

 

“Hmph! If Nonna wants to know, I will tell you all about him!”

 

。

。

。

 

After sharing delicate secrets with one another, Nonna set off to set up preparations of her own. She was wary of magic being used to manipulate their memories or control them against their will so she would set sentries up at varying positions consisting of people she trusted. They were to keep relaying information with one another regarding any suspicious behavior and to check in with her and Couronne.

 

If magic was used to tamper with them unwillingly, they would uphold pledge eight to ascertain the Elves’ magic as cheating. The probability of this working, however, was unlikely as proving their claim was impossible. As far as preparations go, this was all that Nonna could do.

 

By the time Nonna finished, it had become late morning. She returned to the interior of the castle to have lunch with Couronne.

 

She normally arrived around this time to eat with Couronne but this could hardly be called eating together as this was more of a meeting.

 

Gathered at one table, several of Couronne’s advisors raved about their urgent matters, all fusing together into one incoherent scream. They were unaware of the events that unfolded so Couronne gave general directions to each problem one after another before getting them settled. She had sent them away once having dealt with their issue, leaving the finer details to them.

 

“Haah... It’s good that Nonna’s here.”

 

She heaved a sigh of relief and unfurled a document onto the table.

 

“I told you this morning that he was investigating some particular individuals. Look here.”

 

She pointed at a drawing of an elf.

 

“This is Shinku Nilvalen, the person who I am to play against.”

 

The detailed drawing bore a striking resemblance to the elf in question.

 

“The other Elves hold her in high regard for her magic capabilities. She also has the position of representative for the Elves.”

 

They had mistaken her for a messenger but now it made more sense why she would blatantly accuse them of invading, she needed an official caucus belli.

 

“It isn’t written down here but he also told me more about her... hobbies.”

 

Nonna listened to Couronne list the atrocious acts she inflicted on various exceed after taking them in as slaves. The list seemed to go on forever and only stopped after she started to feel nauseous.

 

“That’s all that we have on her.”

 

Nonna swallowed the caustic contents wanting to spew and controlled her anxiety.

 

Even after learning about Couronne’s spy network, there was only so much they can relay back in a short time. Nevertheless, she was impressed with how much information they obtained compared to how she got information.

 

She rolled it back up and tied it around her waist.

 

“Why don’t we eat?”

 

Nonna could see how stressful this was to Couronne on top of managing numerous people, her mood declined and yet, she managed to sneak a smile.

 

“Don’t worry about your older sister! She’s going to show these Elves how Imanity does things.”

 

It was a half-baked reassurance but Nonna was more worried about Couronne’s health, both physically and mentally.

 

She took a basket from underneath and unloaded its contents.

 

On the table were freshly baked fish, wrapped by a handkerchief, vegetables picked from nearby farms, and bread that unfortunately staled. It was their usual meal.

 

Repetition has caused her taste buds to grow accustomed, making her unable to enjoy the meal― not that it mattered since she wanted to talk.

 

“Can I watch Onee-chan’s game?”

 

Couronne almost choked upon hearing Nonna. She wiped herself clean before speaking.

 

“Why... does Nonna want to watch?”

 

If Nonna did want to go, she wouldn’t need her permission since it goes under the pretense of security, but asking meant she had another purpose.

 

“I wish to see the extent of magic. It should serve as an example for future conflicts.”

 

“In that case, if they use any sort of dangerous magic, casualties should be kept to a minimum.”

 

She didn’t like it. Her words appear to be generous but it was to keep Nonna from getting involved in any sort of dangerous magic.

 

“Should anything also happen to Onee-chan, I will act as the replacement.”

 

She only repeated the words agreed on from yesterday and Nonna could see the fear emanating from Couronne’s eyes. She hadn’t forgotten about her fear of losing people close to her but she needed to be stubborn about this.

 

A faint smile formed from both of them. They didn’t need to say anything else, understanding each other’s intent meant Couronne could only accept Nonna’s resolve.

 

“I’ll have you take another bath with me then. No exceptions.”

 

A small price to pay to participate, in addition to having to eat in silence.

 

After eating, they both returned to Couronne’s room so they would both be present when a messenger from the Elves would inform them of the game’s readiness. Being in this awkward position, they were both unsure if they could proceed like it was a normal day. After all, if they do lose this game, signing official documents would be pointless. They both ended up passing the time playing chess.

 

Some time had passed before Couronne abruptly brought up a question.

 

“Say, Nonna. How likely do you think I’ll win?”

 

Nonna recalled the conversation in the library hours ago.

 

None, she had no chance of winning but she couldn’t tell her that nor could she lie about it. She unconsciously strained her face, stuck between telling her the truth or keeping silent about it.

 

“I thought so too...”

 

Couronne saw through her thoughts.

 

“I kept thinking of what kind of games the Elves play. It’s occurred to me that if they choose a game where magic is used to play, I would have to forfeit. They could play any game and I would still lose to their magic.”

 

While Nonna gradually became discouraged, it had the opposite effect on Couronne.

 

“I'm starting to think you have no faith in your older sister! They are prideful and sadistic, they would choose a game where I am able to compete in. Whether I turn it around on them is up to me.”

 

There was no guarantee that is what would happen but Nonna placed her trust in her regardless. Her unshakable confidence in Couronne was shown yesterday but considering the miraculous nature of magic, Couronne's infallible record of being undefeated now wavered in Nonna's view. 

 

It wasn't like they had any other choice, Couronne needed to win this.

 

“I see... by forcing my king to take your rook at H8, your knight takes my rook at F7 which then forks my king and queen. If I had known that sacrificing your queen would lead to this devious position...”

 

Couronne impishly smiled as there would be no good moves left for Nonna. She could take two free pawns as compensation but one rook against a bishop and a knight, there would be no way to contest promoting her pawns. They both excelled in chess but Couronne had more foresight.

 

“Haah... You win.”

 

In the end, she resigned to Couronne.

 

“But no one would be crazy enough to sacrifice their queen like that.”

 

“Hmm... it should be that there is no one crazy enough not to take the queen in that position.”

 

Granted, if someone were to offer their queen for a dark spaced bishop, you would be insane not to take it.

 

Before she could fix the pieces up to play another round, a rhythmic knock came from the door.

 

“Come in.”

 

It was clear to Nonna who it was as there were only three people bold enough to enter Couronne’s room. She had no doubt it was to tease her for not knocking earlier this morning.

 

The hooded man entered and whispered in Couronne’s ear.

 

“Oh... I see. Hmhm. Alright, Nonna, it’s time to go.”

 

“What about the messenger?”

 

“The Elves weren’t courteous enough to send one.”

 

As expected, they had invited themselves in and showed no respect.

 

Before going on ahead, she asked Nonna for a favor.

 

“Could you bring the chess board? It’s my good luck charm.”

 

She complied with Couronne’s request and neatly packed it all up. She received some help from the man as his one hand deftly passed pieces to her. She slightly bowed to express her thanks but as she turned to leave, he left Nonna with some parting words.

 

“She will lose.”

 

It was an ominous premonition and one that she already told herself. She already figured that Couronne was strangely too optimistic but why ruin the facade Couronne built up for her? Moreover, Nonna had already been preparing for the worst-case scenario.

 

These words meant nothing to her.

 

“I know. But I won’t.”

 

。

。

。

 

Once again in the arranged meeting room, the two were surprised to see that only one other person was present and it was Shinku Nilvalen, the elf from yesterday who battled Couronne with words. It was unclear who won so they would now settle things through a more drastic method where Imanity faced becoming homeless or reap the benefits of besting a superior nation.

 

It was a high risk, high reward but it would be apt to say that even considering this kind of conflict was boarding insanity. Adding the fact that all of this was kept from public knowledge now meant risking losing the position of representative as well.

 

In front of Shinku were three beautiful glass cups decorated with designs resembling what appeared to be a tree. Nonna couldn’t exactly comprehend what it was as many symbols were engraved and overlapped.

 

“Before we begin, I would like both of us to restate our terms and adjust the conditions if necessary.”

 

Immediately, Couronne spoke to reaffirm the specifics of the terms and possibly sneak in an additional condition.

 

“In order to resolve the conflict against your accusation of invading their land, Imanity will offer the land that we reside on and move somewhere else. If I am unable to continue, I have prepared another representative that will take my place.”

 

She shot Shinku a quick glare to see if she had caught on but it seemed she was rather uninterested in going through formalities.

 

She then gestured for her to state her bet.

 

“You will be seen as a primitive nation.”

 

Despite maintaining a gentle disposition, her jaded words refused to acknowledge Imanity’s worth.

 

Of course, it didn’t matter what her opinion was as long as they recognized Imanity as a sovereign nation.

 

“The Elves will see us as a nation and rescind their accusation.”

 

Couronne wanted to finalize the details to ensure that there were no loopholes.

 

She impatiently shrugged her shoulders and Nonna held her temper down as it was now not the time to cause a scene.

 

“Then we will continue onto the game.”

 

Couronne took a seat across from her and studied the glass cups on the table.

 

Nonna silently watched as Shinku finally began to explain what game they were to play.

 

“I wonder how feeble this worthless race is since Imanity is keen on using dirty tricks on simple-minded games. I will permit ten retries in this little game.”

 

She didn’t bother explaining what it was or how to play but it wasn’t necessary. Couronne seemed to have already solved what game it was.

 

Nonna only understood when she lifted the middle cup to reveal a red, ornamental sphere. They were playing a variation of the shell game. She must have taken inspiration from how the other elf lost.

 

“Are you prepared to lose?”

 

Couronne didn’t respond to her provocations as if she had shut out every needless stimulus to focus entirely.

 

““Aschente!””

 

The ball disappeared under the stained glass once again. She gracefully shifted the position of the middle cup with another and stopped.

 

Nonna’s instincts were already in high gear, ready to catch her in the act. Shinku’s action pushed Nonna to almost accuse her since making one move was a strange choice.

 

Couronne hesitated to make a decision because it was too easy. She was suspicious but nevertheless, chose the cup on her left which should contain the ball.

 

Shinku had no reaction to her decision and lifted the cup.

 

Nothing.

 

There was nothing underneath.

 

She then lifted the cup on Couronne’s right to reveal where it was.

 

The two were appalled by the impossible situation. They both saw where it went and still got it incorrect.

 

A highly skilled gambler would be able to use sleight of hand without the other person noticing― deducing if it was magic or not was still uncertain.

 

Once again, the ball disappeared underneath the stained glass and another slow exchange.

 

It should be in the middle.

 

Couronne knew this but after failing the first attempt, she employed another tactic. A simple random guess. Randomly guessing isn’t something that she enjoyed to do yet she did it to gain some insight.

 

Expressionless as ever, Shinku lifted the middle cup to reveal where it was.

 

Upon showing them that the ball was indeed in the middle, Nonna now assumed that magic was being used. With Shinku’s odd movements, it should have already been clear that magic was involved but she didn’t have definite proof until now. Their choice did not matter because it would appear in another if Couronne chose the correct one.

 

A cold sweat ran down Nonna’s forehead as she realized Shinku’s intent. It was not out of her generosity to allow Couronne ten tries but rather, she wanted to show Couronne how futile it was to try. Couronne was correct in her assessment of the Elves, prideful and sadistic. Nonna retorted Shinku’s comment as hypocritical.

 

She wanted to break Couronne.

 

Couronne refused to allow her determination to run out. She urged Shinku to continue the game.

 

They repeated this interaction for three more bouts.

 

“Five more tries.”

 

Now it was worrying Nonna. A series of intense exchanges between the two left her feeling the pressure. Neither willing to back down from the fight, Couronne picked the cup which should contain the ball.

 

It was the same result from before.

 

“Four left.”

 

It was then Couronne furrowed her brows, displeased with how things were turning out. If she couldn’t get the correct choice in the next few tries, it would spell defeat for Imanity. In this position, Nonna could see how the pressure now exposed cracks in Couronne’s stability.

 

She rashly chose a random cup before Shinku could even begin to shuffle.

 

As if taunting them, the ball was in a different cup than what it started in. There was no shuffle and yet it still moved positions.

 

“Aren’t you cheating!?”

 

Nonna had enough of this pointless spectacle where Couronne was forced to make a decision until she loses.

 

“Oh?”

 

She was waiting for the words to come out.

 

“Care to explain how?”

 

If Nonna correctly explained how Shinku was cheating then by upholding pledge eight, it would theoretically be their win. Even so...

 

“You are using magic to move the ball! It doesn’t matter what choice we make!”

 

A devilish smile arose from the elf.

 

“Spouting meaningless excuses. Typical of lesser beings.”

 

It didn’t work. In order to utilize pledge eight, she would have to expose the source of cheating. If magic is used, she needed to show evidence but being unable to detect magic, that evidence is lost.

 

Just like that, the game continued once more.

 

Couronne struggled to make a decision, it was not like she was unaware of the situation. She could also attempt to accuse Shinku of cheating but like Nonna, she would be unable to prove how. Being in this situation too, caused her to have lapses in her judgment. Her actions polarized from choosing instantly to hesitating entirely.

 

She strained her face to concentrate, there must be a way out somehow.

 

After taking a few minutes of respite, she settled on a choice. 

 

Regardless of what she picked, it would end up the same.

 

“Three left.”

 

Couronne suddenly stood from her seat, on the verge of breaking down. Nonna couldn’t stand seeing Couronne like this, but even if her heart ached, they were helpless against this opponent.

 

“I’m going to clear my head.”

 

Shinku looked like she didn’t care what they did because it would all be over soon.

 

Couronne stopped at the door and was about to say something but decided against it. She left Nonna by herself.

 

A dreadful silence filled the room.

 

She tightened her grip on Couronne’s chess board when an epiphany found its way to her. 

 

A dubious plan began to concoct in her heart.

 

She could challenge her with this.

 

It was completely possible that she could refuse playing and decide on something else.

 

It was completely possible that she could force Nonna into playing Couronne’s current game and lose.

 

It was completely possible that Nonna would not get her terms to be agreed on.

 

It was compeltely possible―

 

She stopped thinking.

 

“I challenge you to a game of chess!”

 

Nonna’s explosiveness had come from the tremendous irritation and helplessness that built up. 

 

Though Shinku expected something like this. Their encounter from before had shown how Nonna neglected to hold back her feelings.

 

In face of this, she laughed at her expense.

 

“You have nothing to offer.”

 

There was something she could offer in exchange for a moment of weakness― a moment for Couronne.

 

“Everything.”

 

She bet everything she had to offer, even herself.

 

The thought entertained Shinku but she ultimately wanted to decline.

 

“Silly fool, that is not―”

 

She suddenly went quiet as Nonna set up the board and pieces.

 

Nonna knew that this plan was rushed and barely planned out, born mostly from spontaneousness. The likelihood of this succeeding was scarce yet, perhaps the enticing offer of betting her life might be tempting enough accounting for her “hobbies”.

 

She had to try.

 

As she finished setting everything up, she once again challenged her.

 

“I, Nonna Zell, challenge you to a game of chess!”

 

Curious by the pieces, Shinku picked one up and examined it closely.

 

Slowly, the air ignited with an ever-growing flame of furiousness

 

She placed the piece back down in its rightful place and asked a question.

 

“What do you know about this board?”

 

Being curious in the board meant that it held some significance. Nonna didn’t have the time to ask why and only responded in a way to somehow trigger her emotions.

 

“This belongs to someone special.”

 

It was then that something clicked in Shinku.

 

“And if I lose?”

 

This was the chance Nonna was looking for. She didn’t resort to degrading her but instead, she took it seriously.

 

She needed to ask for something that favored Shinku while presenting an opportunity for Couronne to break free from the losing situation.

 

“Magic cannot be used in the last three rounds of Couronne’s game.”

 

This still meant that if Couronne failed to choose the correct one, they will still lose but asking for something greater came with the risk of being rejected.

 

After some time considering the offer, Shinku added one more condition.

 

“There will be one more condition: with every piece I capture, I will take away something of yours.”

 

Nonna did not stop to hesitate and immediately accepted her offer. She was not going to negotiate as this chance may never come again.

 

““Aschente!””

 

Her eyes brimmed with a mysterious glow as she glared at Nonna perhaps reevaluating her worth.

 

“You may make the first move.”

 

Naturally, the challenged has the ability to choose the game so seeing that Shinku allowed her to make the first move relieved her that she was willing to comply.

 

She wasn’t going to waste any time and instantly moved. Likewise, Shinku did not stop to think.

 

Nonna moved pawn to [E4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5I_fB-wNPA), Shinku replied with pawn to C5.

 

Knight to F3, Pawn to D6.

 

She moved her pawn to D4 to challenge Shinku’s pawn at C5. With her knight at F3, she could reclaim that position and better develop her knight.

 

Nonna didn’t know the extent of the condition she placed on her but if she played scared then it would be easy to take advantage.

 

Shinku promptly captured on D4 with her pawn.

 

Something was not right.

 

Nonna could feel something was amiss about her but nothing serious enough to warrant an investigation.

 

She continued.

 

Nonna captured her pawn with her knight and Shinku moved her knight to F6, attacking Nonna’s pawn on E4.

 

Pawn to F2 defends it so Shinku moved pawn to E5, now attacking her knight.

 

Knight to B3 and now, bishop to E7.

 

Pawn to C4 to prevent Shinku from moving her knight to D5 and preventing her from setting up a powerful center so, in response, she moved pawn to A5 to eventually threaten Nonna’s knight.

 

Bishop to E3 and pawn to A4 like she had predicted.

 

She moved her knight to C1 so she could later move it to D3, giving the knight a better position and Shinku castled King's side.

 

Knight to C3 to try and pick up the pawn on A4 but it was pinned by Shinku’s Queen moving to A5.

 

Queen to D2 to protect her pieces which also unpins her knight and knight to A6.

 

Bishop to E2 and Knight to C5.

 

Nonna castled King's side as well and bishop to D7.

 

Nonna needed to push on B to kick the Queen and knight out so she moved rook to B1 in preparation to move her pawn to B4 to fork Shinku’s Queen and knight while Shinku moved rook to C8.

 

She executed her plan and moved her pawn to B4 and forcing Shinku to capture her pawn by en passant.

 

Feeling the same effects from before, something did not feel correct.

 

“What did you mean by ‘take something of mine’?”

 

She needed to know, fearing something important would disappear.

 

Shinku did not bother to answer.

 

Seeing that she would not clarify, she resumed with pawn captures on B3 and queen to D8.

 

With Nonna’s position well structured, she prepared to attack.

 

Knight to D3 and knight to E6.

 

Knight to B4 to increase her control on D5 but bishop to C6 prevents knight to D5.

 

Kingside rook to D1 to add more pressure and pawn to H5.

 

Bishop to F1 to allow her Queen to move and pawn to H4.

 

Queen to F2 and knight to D7.

 

Pawn to G2 and rook to A3.

 

Bishop to H3 and rook to A8.

 

There was a threat of both rooks on the A file but moving knight to C2 would force the rook back and rook to A6.

 

She moved back her knight to B4 to continue attacking the rook and rook to A5.

 

Knight back to C2 to wait for Shinku to make a move and pawn to B6.

 

Rook to D2 and Queen to C7.

 

Rook to D1 and bishop to F8.

 

Now controlling the D file, she captured the pawn on H4 and knight to F4.

 

With the knight now in a good position on F4, Nonna decided to exchange her bishop for her knight and the pawn captured her bishop on F4.

 

Her mind temporarily went blank before regaining consciousness. She moved her hands and feet to test if something had taken control of her. She moved normally but it was obvious that something was taken from her. She looked through her memories to try and decipher the mystery.

 

It didn’t help as she couldn’t remember anything.

 

Her memories were foggy but she still recalled Couronne and such.

 

So once again, she traded her bishop for a knight on D7 where Queen captured on D7.

 

Her body convulsed, a feeling of nausea spread all across, and her head harbored a splitting headache.

 

“Y-You are taking my memories?”

 

She was sure of it as certain things became more difficult to remember. Nonna, who spent her life growing up with a variety of people, now couldn’t recognize the faces of a few. She could remember the names of a couple people before testing her theory out with the bishop exchange.

 

Magic instilled fear into her heart, she was afraid of forgetting Couronne and her father.

 

“I do not need a slave who resists.”

 

Terror struck down after realizing how bad her situation was. With every piece lost, so does a good margin of her memories. Trying to attack Shinku’s position would be difficult if she found herself afraid of sacrificing pieces.

 

Trying to compose herself, she moved knight to B4 to attack the bishop on C6 and rook to A3 to pick up a pawn.

 

Nonna had to make a choice, her plan to win required her to trade her knight for the bishop but in doing so, means another portion of her memories would be taken. Which and how much, she wouldn’t know.

 

An internal struggle ensued, one debating that her actions were foolish and she should attempt to draw the game while the other begged for her to continue to save Couronne from losing.

 

Temptation soon arrived persuading her that even if Couronne loses, it would not be the end of Imanity. It was possible for them to find a different place to live at but doing so would be a treacherous struggle.

 

Listening to the venomous words her mind argued, her senses went numb except for her desire to repay Couronne.

 

She forced her hand to move her knight to capture on C6 where on recapture with Queen to C6, all of her friend’s faces had become blurred. The moments they had played together were still intact but the feelings she shared were completely gone.

 

It was safe to assume that every piece now correlated with something she valued. Every pawn captured could lose her a few minor memories but nothing too severe as losing a knight or bishop. She needed to be careful with exchanging her rooks as those could lose her how to play or worse.

 

Knight to B5 to fork the pawn on D6 and rook on A3 so rook captures her pawn on B3.

 

Losing the pawn was a small price to pay to fork Shinku’s queen and rook with knight to D4 but Shinku’s aim was to take more of her pieces. Queen captures on C4 now defended her rook so Nonna would need to also trade her knight for the rook.

 

She continued to progress her plan as it would be the only way to win now.

 

Knight captures rook on B3 and Queen captures knight on B3.

 

She froze momentarily, not aware of what occurred.

 

A strange moment of tranquility entered her body before lifting up her hands.

 

“Whose... hands are these?”

 

In her mind, it registered as part of her body but had her hands always been like this? She couldn’t recall a single memory regarding what she looked like, what her name was, or what has her life amounted up to this moment. It was simply that she was here to win.

 

Her opponent stared at her, undecided if she was still able to play. She did just lose memories of herself so it would not be surprising if she forgot how to play. 

 

Just as she was about to disqualify her from being unable to make a move, Nonna picked up her Queen.

 

Now that she’s touched it, she must make a move.

 

Putting it down and moving another piece would be an illegal move so Shinku watched if she made some sort of mistake.

 

But Nonna’s movements were decisive as she placed her Queen on E2 and she could only respond with bishop to E7.

 

And again, Nonna moved her King to G2, not taking a single second to think. Shinku had no strategy to attack with how little materials she had left but there was still the option of Nonna making a mistake. As such, Shinku moved her queen to E6.

 

Pawn to H5 and rook to A3.

 

Rook to D3 and rook to A2.

 

Nonna countered with rook to D2.

 

Shinku started to take her time. Here, she could take the rook and that would diminish her chances of winning the game or she could try to wait and see what Nonna would play. Winning was something she still wanted but exchanging her rook could also accomplish what she came for.

 

After weighing her options, she decided that trying to win was still viable as Nonna still had no possible way to win as well. The game was headed towards a draw which neither player would win and Nonna’s memories would be lost.

 

So she repeated her move with rook to A3.

 

Nonna repeated as well with rook to D3 and now, rook to A7, waiting to see what Nonna would do.

 

Rook to D5 and rook to C7.

 

Queen to D2 and Queen to F6.

 

Rook to F5 and Queen to H4.

 

Rook to C1 and rook to A7.

 

Queen captures pawn on F4 and rook to A2 with check.

 

King to H1 and Queen to F2.

 

At this point, Shinku was thoroughly perplexed, how could she allow her Queen to set up this checkmate on G2? Nonna would now lose with how she moved her rook and Queen out of her own defense.

 

Nonna’s hands were trembling, somewhat losing her grip on the piece but she held on with what strength she had left.

 

Rook to C1 with check.

 

Shinku understood that she had now lost.

 

She had been too focused on trying to attack that she had forgotten about the only possible way that Nonna could win.

 

King to H7. It wouldn’t matter what she did.

 

Nonna touched her queen piece and fumbled with it in her hands, not quite understanding why her body reacted in such a way.

 

Her hands froze midway, refusing to go any further.

 

She retracted her hands and brought her queen to near her, wanting to see what could make her act this way. In her hands, she rotated it to inspect it, touched every surface that she could feel, and her eyes erratically traced its shape.

 

Carefully, she hugged the queen as her tears dampened the board and her shirt.

 

Finally, her body allowed her to make the winning move.

 

Queen to H6 with check.

 

Shinku didn’t need much time to make her move but she didn’t capture it instantly. She thought how this Queen sacrifice would be what Nonna needed to win. It didn’t once cross her mind.

 

She had imposed this condition on her as revenge but looking through her memories had not yet proved to be any useful. None of them were in any connection to whom she detested. This Queen might contain what she is looking for, however, so she was not entirely dissatisfied with this loss.

 

She moved her King to capture her Queen where Nonna’s memories flowed in immediately.

 

Nonna shakily took her rook and dropped it carelessly on H8 with checkmate.

 

。

。

。

 

Couronne returned with her fear now realized. She saw Nonna passed out on the floor and without a second thought, she rushed over to check on her vitals.

 

Luckily, she was still breathing.

 

She propped Nonna’s body up so that she could bring her to her room to rest.

 

Couronne knew about Nonna’s plan of action. She knew yet― she allowed it to happen. Walking out was the hardest decision of her life.

 

She continued to lose on purpose, fully realizing that winning was impossible but she did so Nonna would not have to do this. But as the end approached, her conscience conflicted with her actions.

 

Was she going to sacrifice the livelihood of thousands of people to save one person?

 

Her morals did not agree with this but she continued to ignore the problem until her mentality slowly crumbled. She withered into a remorseless husk of her former friend, one who was not afraid of making tough decisions.

 

And so, she had copied his example.

 

Guilt welled up inside her throat, suffocating her of air and yet, she felt that she was not feeling enough pain to atone for her actions. She had hoped that Nonna would wake up and assist in squeezing out the last bit of air in her lungs. This alone would be rightfully deserved.

 

“You have three tires left.”

 

The aloof words of the elf brought her back momentarily but she didn’t have it in her to continue playing. The slow but steady heartbeat from Nonna pounded on her conscience to exact revenge. She acted upon it, not giving much thought to what she chose.

 

“The middle one.”

  
  


Shinku didn’t bother to reveal what was under it and Couronne didn’t care if it was the correct choice. Her priority was to nurse Nonna back to health for now.

 

With Nonna on her back, she carried her back to her room and laid her down in a comfortable position. She restlessly fluffed the pillow, tucked her in a number of times, and would sometimes pace back and forth.

 

No matter how much time would pass, Nonna would not wake up.

 

Couronne skipped out on eating dinner and continued to observe for any changes.

 

Before long, it had become midnight and her eyes dared to droop. She pinched herself awake and continued to stay by Nonna’s side. Sleeping beside Nonna was an option but she felt like she did not deserve that luxury much less think about it.

 

The cycle continued until her numbed fingers could not output any more strength and she promptly fell asleep on the floor, next to Nonna.

 

When morning came, Couronne felt unusually warm as the arms of another person wrapped around her waist.

 

She had woken up in bed. Someone must have picked her up and put her here.

 

She tried to escape but Nonna had locked her arms around her and Couronne’s chest would not allow slipping out from under.

 

“Hmm... Onee-chan...”

 

“Eh? Nonna?”

 

Nonna’s head nuzzled against her chest, causing Couronne to make an unusual sound.

 

Nonna opened her eyes and met Couronne’s. She stared curiously and Couronne stared back. Embracing like this made the guilt pile up more in Couronne’s mind but for now, she was relieved to see Nonna was fine.

 

Couronne had no idea what Nonna had used to tempt Shinku into playing or what their bets were about but knowing Nonna, she would certainly make it so that she would win.

 

In the past, Nonna would never be this affectionate so this proceeded to add towards her anxiety.

 

“Onee-chan? Non-na?”

 

“Nonna...? Are you okay?”

 

She judged Nonna to be awfully dependent, only seeking out warmth and attention. It was still too soon to diagnose her condition, however.

 

Nonna shook her head.

 

“Did I do something wrong? Is Onee-chan mad?”

 

“N-No! I am very glad actually!”

 

While her true feelings had been said, it had little effect on someone who does not remember what happened.

 

“Oh... I see. That makes me happy.”

 

Nonna dozed off once again and her arms eventually loosened up, freeing Couronne.

 

Being careful not to wake her up, she got out and promptly began to search for Shinku Nilvalen, the only person who held all of the answers.

 

 

。

。

。

 

“You know, I have found a way to make your hair smell so nice!”

 

“Really?”

 

She took a small amount of cream onto her hands and rubbed it evenly on Nonna’s hair. She then poured lukewarm water to clear the bubbles that formed and to disperse the cream that she added.

 

Couronne admired Nonna’s short hair, compared to her the length of her hair which was a task to tend to.

 

Even after being reputed as an indomitable gambler, Couronne still couldn’t lay her hands on any territory that the Elves owned. Individually owned land would up for grabs but they would then be under the control of the representative as if they knew Couronne looked for an opening into their land.

 

Her relentless hunt came to a momentary pause as she had forcibly procured a trade deal from the Werebeasts hence her celebration by using the product.

 

“I did promise...”

 

“Hm?”

 

Nonna shot Couronne a confused expression.

 

“A-Anyways! How is it?”

 

“It’s amazing!”

 

Her joyful cheer echoed in the empty space of Couronne’s private bath.

 

Couronne’s smile calmed Nonna excitement and they moved places once confirming they were free of dirt.

 

“Do I have an older brother?”

 

A question arose after some time had been spent relaxing.

 

Couronne wavered from telling her but her guilty conscious did not take long to persuade her.

 

“Y-You do! He used to take care of us all. Why do you ask?”

 

“Hmm... I keep seeing a person and he makes me so angry. I... I think the kids were saying how older brothers do that.”

 

It was surprising to hear how Nonna could remember someone that she knew. Ever since her incident years ago, Nonna’s mental state had regressed back to a child and Couronne kept looking for clues to return her back to normal. The only lead she has, unfortunately, keeps herself far from her reach. 

 

“It feels like I knew him from long ago but I... I can’t― Can’t―”

 

Nonna started to pull at her hair but Couronne stopped her before she could harm herself.

 

“Hey... Nonna... It’s okay...”

 

She hugged Nonna and stroked her hair to calm her down. 

 

“We’re supposed to enjoy taking a bath! Just let the water help you relax.”

 

Like she had instructed, Nonna stopped struggling to remember and sunk into the warm water.

 

Her eyes wandered aimlessly in the empty space of the bath, wanting to make sense of the fog.

 

Her mind, too, roamed freely to bring up past memories and names.

 

Another wave of guilt constricted her throat, making it difficult to breath.

 

Nonna opened her eyes and raised herself up after realizing that Couronne did not join her.

 

“Onee-chan?”

 

A frivilous bet from long ago finally got Couronne to snap out of it.

 

“I’ll get you back to normal, Nonna. I promise.”

 

She slightly tilted her head, not understanding what Couronne meant.

 

Couronne automatically went for a hug, also not understanding that this would suffocate Nonna.

 

Nonna didn’t resist because for a fleeting moment, a surge of happiness welled up within her.

**Author's Note:**

> A year in the making and it's finally completed! I know I should be somewhere else finishing an incomplete story that I posted... but I had some ideas for this story that I just needed to write.
> 
> First things first, thank you for reading! I hope that this was enjoyable to read as much as it was writing it. I'll be rambling about how I got the idea, story goals, and other things underneath so feel free to skip it or read it. Also, I've placed the link of the actual chess game (Magnus Carlsen vs Sergey Karjakin [2016]) at the start of Nonna's game. If you're interested or, like me, couldn't visualize the game through text, give it a watch. It's really an amazing game for the world championship title.
> 
> I got the idea for writing it when I watched the movie, "No Game No Life: Zero" but I didn't really know who should the protagonist be. I wanted to expand the universe and characters but there were only two (maybe Jibril) that I could actually expand on. As such, I hope you forgive me for making additional characters that weren't present in the original. I do like sticking to being canon as possible. Now naturally, I still do tend to overlook details so I'm sorry if I make contradicting plots. Lastly, I wanted to somehow include Sora and Shiro through some kind of flashback story or maybe have them read up on something but decided against it as I'd much rather tell a story as it is happening.
> 
> As I wrote this, I had three goals to accomplish.  
> 1) Connect plot points.  
> 2) Establish a convincing story.  
> 3) Develop characters positively and negatively.
> 
> Now, what do I mean by all these? I had to keep in mind that Chlammy was a slave of Feel's family, the Nilvalen, so I wanted to introduce the reason. I imagined a story after this where Shinku will claim her prize once Couronne found her way to her but the only bet that she would find acceptable is if Nonna was the item while if Couronne did win, she would return all of her memories. We all know where this is going. Essentially, I wanted to showcase how it all came together. Couronne needed a reason to go, Shinku needed a reason to enslave Nonna, and Nonna needed a reason to challenge Shinku. In addition, I kept in mind that this was set thousands of years before thus the excessive need to repeat how archaic everything was.
> 
> A story is cool and all, but what about the droid attack on the Wookies? Lots of my time was poured into research. Rewatching the movie for about 30 times, just trying to understand what kind of world did they live in. I wanted to know how they lived, how they felt, etc so that when I wrote this, you would be convinced that this story might actually be what happened. It is a fanfic, but hopefully, for a moment, I convinced you that this wasn't.
> 
> My last goal was to show character growth. Couronne, for example, looked to suit the older sister archetype. I kept some stereotypes but she is only an imanitan, they are capable of expressing various expressions and ideologies that I wanted to solidify which she kept and which she didn't. Opening up to someone was a trait that I wanted her to learn. At first, she did not want to bother Nonna with what troubled her but she eventually talked comfortably enough and even discussed her love life. While Nonna was the main character of the story, I'll admit, I used Chlammy's personality. There was just nothing discussing Nonna. I don't think they even mentioned her name in the movie and the novel barely covered her name. I kinda just imagined it was Chlammy and some parts Akatsuki (Log Horizon). I built up her character through two games, in the beginning, the bath scene (always a tradition in the series), and through her actions. She is highly protective of Couronne because of her father's death. She has an idea of how he died but without confirmation from Couronne, it is all just speculation. I also wanted to be ironic in the sense that Riku was still the driving force behind her motivation. From the board, book, or the queen sacrifice, I wanted to make Nonna learn that sacrifices must be made to protect what she believed in which Riku did not hesitate to do. Now since I might have went too fast at the end, I wanted to show that Nonna thinks that Couronne was her actual sister since she would automatically call her "Onee-chan" unaware of the bet that transpired from the start. It all came back around... for worse.
> 
> Anyways, if you read all that, I'd like to thank you once again! Thank you so much! I want to leave off on my final thanks to someone who I will never forget to credit. She was the one who inspired me to continue my passion. Hopefully, I will continue to improve.


End file.
